


we are not ghost hunters, we're vloggers

by seoktothegyu



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Based On Buzzfeed Unsolved, M/M, bookkeu, established seokgyu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-22 17:31:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seoktothegyu/pseuds/seoktothegyu
Summary: College boyfriends Seokmin and Mingyu tackle different cases of paranormal activity for their YouTube channel._or, seokgyu sort of become therapists for the ghosts and their haunted clients. Inspired by Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural.





	we are not ghost hunters, we're vloggers

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote a little something for this Halloween season. I love my ghoul boys and I love my seokgyu. So this is the result. Kudos and comments are very much appreciated! Let me know what you think :) Enjoy! #SeventeenWorldDomination
> 
> ps: please forgive me for any grammatical errors, I only just started and finished this in one sitting lol i'm tired

Mingyu only wanted to be a lifestyle vlogger with the occasional photography tutorials using his boyfriend as his muse. He was quite content with his small following of a couple hundred thousand subscribers. As a broke and busy college student majoring in abnormal psychology, there wasn’t much else he could do to pass the time. When his latest vlog documenting his and Seokmin’s 8-hour road trip reached over a million views in just two days, they were beyond surprised. And a little confused.

They didn’t know what could have possibly fascinated their audience in the video for it to go viral like that. That is, until they started reading the comments.

**:** guys, tell me this isn’t what i think it is **12:06 **(2.5k likes, 37 comments)

: dude i was legit about to comment this

**:** **12:07** my friend showed me this clip and HOLY SHIT i got goosebumps (1.8k likes, 23 comments)

**:** fake af (692 likes, 41 comments)

: why would they fake it though when this page clearly isn’t a ghost hunting one, i had to check lol

**:** lmao these two idiots didn’t even know there was a shadow of a headless ghost at the backseat (10k likes, 59 comments)

: yo but they funny, sweet & cute tho lol i ship

**:** i’d be down if they continued this though. like one of those ghost hunting ones but funnier and less serious (3.6k likes, 17 comments)

As they watched the clip over and over, Seokmin and Mingyu were speechless. It was so quiet in their dorm room that when a strong wind slammed a window shut, Seokmin screamed at the top of his lungs while gripping Mingyu’s bicep. The latter wasn’t any better as he turned extra pale while looking around. Neither dared to move for the next few minutes.

Needless to say, they’re hopeless cowards.

The next day, Mingyu brought a copy of the video clip to the media department and have them inspect the video. As a scientific person, even though he believes in the supernatural, he did not want to immediately believe that the “proof” they had to be real. After all, he studies psychology so he knows how much the opinion of a lot of people can affect and slightly manipulate your own.

The technicians inspected the clip for about fifteen minutes before coming to a conclusion. They said that the pixels forming the shadowy figure are consistent with the quality of the other surrounding pixels. In other words, the video clip is unedited. The figure had in fact been there at the scene with them.

“So there really was a ghost with us inside the car?” Seokmin asked with wide eyes. He kept jiggling his leg as a nervous tic.

“Well, we still can’t be a hundred percent sure.”

“Yeah,” Mingyu agreed with Seungcheol, the head technician. “This only means that the _figure _in the clip was real. But it doesn’t tell us exactly that that was a ghost.”

“But it literally looks like the silhouette of a headless man.” Seokmin argued, tilting the laptop screen to give Mingyu a better look. “See?”

“True.” Mingyu relented. “But that’s only based on one interpretation, babe.”

Seokmin visibly looked disappointed at not having Mingyu on his side but secretly, he was relieved that it has not been confirmed. He also refused to believe they were in the presence of a ghost and they did not even know.

The uncertainty of the whole situation is what sparked their curiosity. Along with the encouragement and growing pressure from their new audience, Mingyu started reading up on the supernatural during his free time. After his classes, Seokmin would stay with him at the library doing homework as a music major while Mingyu familiarized himself with the cryptid. And so, just about a week after their viral video, they went on their very first on-site ghost investigation.

It was on an abandoned school from two towns over. It was rumored that the spirits of the students who died there were aimlessly roaming the halls at night. So Mingyu studied the history of the place to find out why a few students died and apparently, the east wing burned down killing six students. A few years after that, a student carrying a contagious deadly virus went to class, unknowingly sharing it with his classmates. Three of them died at the hospital the next month. There was another incident when a student accidentally fell from the fourth-floor balcony. With so much tragedy that’s happened in a span of five years, the school was forced to shut down as the parents started pulling out their kids and transferring them to another when a rumor has spread that the school might have been cursed.

Having this be their first time, Seokmin and Mingyu did not really know what to bring. Aside from the essentials like a camera, a couple of flashlights and batteries, and hooking themselves up with microphones, they didn’t know what else to bring so they packed lightly. While waiting for Seokmin to get ready, Mingyu adjusted the settings on his vlogging cam now-turned ghost hunting cam. They may not capture a full-bodied apparition but at least his shots would be cinematic as hell.

They got to the school at around ten in the evening and filmed their introduction for a few minutes before going inside. And it went just about how you would have expected it to go.

It was mostly of Seokmin screaming at basically every little sound he heard and at every time they enter a classroom as if to announce their presence to the ghosts. Mingyu was the one who kept calling out and talking to absolute darkness as he attempted to “communicate” with the supernatural. And before you mistake Mingyu as being brave, every damn time he heard just a peep, or a tiny creak, or even the wind from outside, he would almost jump out of his skin. He’s just lucky he has Seokmin to entertain the audience so they hopefully won’t notice his scared tiny whimpers. The shot would sometimes be shaky or focused at an awkward angle due to his shaking hands.

Mingyu had to remind himself that he doesn’t believe in ghosts just to try to calm himself down. At times when it got especially dark, like when they were inside the boy’s comfort room, he would hold Seokmin’s hand for support. And with that gesture alone, Seokmin visibly calmed down a bit.

They ended filming at almost two in the morning; their first official investigation was a success in terms of virality. Their audience loved every second of it. Over the course of almost two months, they have managed to upload three more ghost hunting videos. Their subscriber count has significantly grown, pushing over to three million. Their old fans, as in the ones who already knew them before becoming big, loved the new dynamic of the channel. Their newer audience also watched for a number of reasons. Some for the believers and non-believers who really just love a good ghost hunting, others for the comedy that the duo unintentionally provides, and the rest, also known as the “seokgyu nation”, basically watch to see Seokmin and Mingyu do just about anything together.

Along with the sudden success of their channel, Mingyu realized that this is becoming a profitable hobby. When the first check came, Mingyu brought Seokmin to a posh restaurant followed by a quick shopping spree. And even after all of that, they still had enough to buy some of the equipment their audience suggested they buy such as an electromagnetic frequency (EMF) reader. Broke college student no more.

For every investigation, Mingyu took it upon himself to do the editing as he already feels bad for dragging Seokmin into frightening situations. He knows that Seokmin is conflicted between wanting nothing to do with the supernatural and also wanting to prove that ghosts are, in fact, real.

Mingyu would do everything at the media lab with Seungcheol’s supervision. Also, over the course of those two months, Seokmin and Mingyu had gotten close with the head technician. Seungcheol is on the fence between being a believer and a non-believer. He believes the existence of the supernatural but he does not believe in the paranormal encounters told by other people. He really just wants cold-hard evidence. That is why he’s pretty much invested into this now as well. He has recently joined them on these investigations though he preferred to be behind the scenes and just film the two guys. He thinks that Seokmin actually scares the ghosts because of the high-tone screams of his instead of the other way around. And he also thinks Mingyu is pretty much whipped because the latter would sometimes forget that they’re on camera so he would get extra protective and sweet.

One night just after dinner, as Mingyu was doing research for their next potential location, he got an email from a stranger with the subject written as **Do you do house calls? Please, I’m desperate.** Intrigued, Mingyu opened the email.

As he began typing a response, he pondered how he would tell Seokmin about this case. According to the guy, named Boo Seungkwan, he believes that him and his dog are not alone in the apartment. One particular sentence that caught Mingyu’s attention is when the guy said “…so when I reached down to pick up my pen that rolled to the bottom the bed, I felt something lick my hand. Thinking that it was my dog, I didn’t mind it. But immediately as I was thinking that, I saw my actual dog walking into the room. Definitely not coming from under my bed.”

That alone made Mingyu accept the house call.

He also knows Seokmin would definitely hate this case. His boyfriend is terrified of the idea of a ghost making his presence known through physical touch. If that happened to Seokmin, he would have fainted.

But Mingyu also feels bad for the guy. He can practically feel the desperation radiating off of his words. Plus, it would be good for the channel. This will be their first house call.

“What are you up to?” Mingyu jumped in his seat. He didn’t hear Seokmin come into the living room.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.” Seokmin apologized with a laugh before plopping down on the couch.

“It’s okay.” Mingyu replied, subtly lowering the screen of his laptop. He decided to just finish the email _after_ having Seokmin’s permission. He would never go behind his boyfriend’s back for anything. “I noticed that I’ve been getting a little jumpy lately.”

“Occupational hazard?” Seokmin joked. To which Mingyu snorted in response.

A comforting silence fell between them. Wednesday nights are always chill and relaxing inside their dorm. Mingyu figured now is about as good as any to tell Seokmin about their next case.

Here goes nothing… Mingyu thought. “Hey, babe.”

“Hm?” Seokmin had his eyes closed while happily lounging on the couch after having peperoni pizza for dinner. He’s currently in food heaven right now.

“So, I got an email for our next case.”

“Mmhmm.”

Mingyu waited. When Seokmin didn’t say anything else further, Mingyu took that as a cue to continue. “This guy named Boo Seungkwan said he feels as if he’s not alone in his apartment. This is the first time anyone has reached out to us for help. And since we haven’t done anything like that before, I was a bit hesitant to respond.” He trailed off, weighing his words.

“Go on.” Seokmin urged him.

Mingyu let out a breath before continuing, “He’s asking for a house call. His dog, Bookkeu, kept barking at––”

“The ghost is bothering a dog?” Seokmin quickly sat up, looking slightly offended for some reason.

“Well, yeah.” Mingyu nodded. “Seungkwan lives alone with his dog.”

“And what happens when he leaves for the day? That leaves the dog alone with the ghost…” Seokmin trailed off, his eyes getting wide. “Mingyu, we need to help them.”

“But you haven’t heard the other details yet.” Mingyu told him, opening his laptop to try to show Seokmin the email.

“There’s no need. A dog needs our help.” Seokmin said with a finality to his tone.

“And that guy, Seungkwan.” Mingyu reminded him with a fond smile.

“Oh, yes. Him, too.” Seokmin added with a giggle.

A few days later, Seokmin finds himself questioning all of the choices he made that got him into this situation. Him and Mingyu are currently seated in Seungkwan’s living room, listening as the latter recount stories of weird occurrences in this apartment. First, they were all just the basic things, Seungkwan walking into cold spots, his dog kept pawing at the wall, lights turning on and off. Seokmin couldn’t believe that he’s actually used to those stories now and would call them “the basics”. But it was when Seungkwan got into the juicier stories that Seokmin felt his soul leave his body.

“Wait, what?” Seokmin interrupted. “What do you mean it licked you? Like, it literally _touched_ you?!”

“Yes, hyung!” Seungkwan matched his terrified tone. “I was so surprised I almost fainted.”

“Why are you still here, then?” Seokmin wanted to know. “If that happened, I would have moved out and gone the next hour.”

“Hyung, believe me, I wanted to. But I just paid my rent for the next six months. I can’t afford to go anywhere else.”

If Seokmin was nervous earlier that night, he’s feeling it tenfold now.

Mingyu could tell that it was rattling Seokmin up. He picked up Bookkeu to give to Seokmin. And just by the presence of the dog, the muscles on Seokmin’s shoulders relaxed as he cuddled the puppy.

“Alright, Seungkwan, I think we can start filming now.” Mingyu informed the younger one. He turned to face Seungcheol. “Hyung, I need you to film from here and at this angle.” He instructed his older friend as they got into position.

“So, um, what do you need me to do?” Seungkwan asked, uncertain and looking nervous. Mingyu noticed that the guy also looks exhausted as he’s told them that he hasn’t gotten much sleep lately.

“I just need you to tell us what made you think that what’s happening here is of the supernatural. Let’s start from there.” Mingyu instructed.

Seungkwan nodded, determined, as he waited for Seungcheol to say when to start. Mingyu dimmed the lights and get ready to shoot.

“And this is the bedroom where Seungkwan said he felt the ghost make contact for the first time.” Mingyu explained as him and Seokmin entered the room. Seungkwan stayed at the living room as the two did their thing.

Clinging to Bookkeu, Seokmin’s eyes never left the bed as he actively avoided it. He really wasn’t looking to where he was going so when his leg bumped a footrest, Seokmin let out an ear-piercing scream, startling Mingyu.

“What, what is it?” Mingyu made his way over to Seokmin to find out what’s wrong.

Face flushed, Seokmin mumbled, “It’s nothing, I just bumped into something.”

Mingyu took a breath to calm his raising heart. “How about you take a seat over here while I turn on the spirit box, okay?”

“Okay.” Seokmin replied as he pulled the puppy toward his chest.

Once Mingyu has set up and placed the loud monstrosity on the bed, he started, “Who are you?”

Silence.

“What do you want with this place?”

Silence.

“What do you want with Seungkwan?”

Another silence.

Seokmin and Mingyu waited for a few more seconds when Bookkeu suddenly jumped from Seokmin’s arms and ran towards Seungkwan’s closet. The boys watched as Bookkeu, with tongue out, excitedly pawed at the door. Which was then followed by what sounded like a laughter coming from the spirit box. On instinct, Seokmin and Mingyu reached for each other’s hand.

“Who are you?” Mingyu tried again.

“…I’m Jun.”

Seokmin’s eyes were practically as wide as saucers.

“What do you want with Bookkeu?” Mingyu asked again.

Two beats of static and then, “To play.”

“Nonononono.” Seokmin goes frantically. “I changed my mind. I’m out of here.”

“Babe,” Mingyu sighs as he tightened his hold on Seokmin’s hand. “You promised our viewers. Plus, Seungkwan asked for our help. He just wants to know that he’s not being crazy and this is all really happening.”

“But…” Seokmin squeaks out, worriedly looking around the room. “How am I supposed to stay a whole night here?”

Mingyu shrugged. “Easy. I’ll protect you.”

“Mingyu,” Seokmin started. “I appreciate you. I really do. But we both know you’re just as scared as me.”

Mingyu barked out a laugh. “Don’t let our viewers know.”

Behind the camera, Seungcheol fondly rolled his eyes at the two.

Seokmin lightly scoffed. “Please. They see right through the both of us.”

“True.” Mingyu nodded. “But it worked though.”

“What did?”

“Me trying to calm you down, even just by a little.” Mingyu actually had the guts to look smug.

“Touché, Mingyu. Touché.” Seokmin let out a breath and loosened the vise-grip hold he had on Mingyu’s hand.

“So cute.”

The sound came from the spirit box.

As Seokmin and Mingyu screamed in surprised, the spirit box let out another phrase, “Don’t leave, please.”

Mingyu tried to gather his thoughts. Bookkeu seemingly unafraid and even excited about the entity…, “_to play_…”, “_so cute_…”, and the general friendly tone in which the last audio was heard…

Could this be a friendly entity?

“Hey, Jun?” Mingyu called to the ghost, using the name he heard earlier. “Why are you doing this to Seungkwan?”

“…”

“…”

“…just… want… friend…”

“Yes, but you see, it’s stressing him out.” Mingyu replied to complete silence. “He’s getting less sleep because he’s afraid of you. In order to be his friend, you need to give him peace of mind. Right?”

Silence.

“We need to know that you won’t be bothering him again. Or else we will…” Mingyu tried to think of a threat. “We will forbid Bookkeu from playing with you.”

Seokmin and Mingyu waited with baited breaths as the seconds stretched on to two minutes of static.

“Is this really where we’re going to sleep?” Seokmin asked. When Mingyu didn’t respond, he nudged his boyfriend.

“Oh. Sorry. I thought you were asking the spirit box.” Mingyu told him.

“Never in a million years would I ever _attempt_ to address a ghost.”

With a chuckle, Mingyu replied. “We can sleep in the couch then if you’re too uncomfortable.”

“The couch it is.” Seokmin stated as the went out of the room.

The rest of the night went pretty uneventful. Of all the places they have investigated and stayed overnight for, all five locations, this is probably the most peaceful Seokmin has actually felt among them. Granted, he still didn’t sleep a wink. But he was also able to resist the urge of waking Mingyu up every time he heard a creak on the hardwood or the rattling of the window caused by the wind. That’s win in Seokmin’s book, for sure.

The next morning, Seungkwan thanked them profusely while offering to buy them dinner next week. Exhausted and, well, secretly delighted with the offer, Seokmin and Mingyu couldn’t bring themselves to turn down the offer. Seokmin, Mingyu, and Seungcheol hugged Seungkwan goodbye after exchanging contact numbers. And so, they made plans with Seungkwan to meet next Saturday night for dinner and drinks.

As Jun watched the whole exchange from Seungkwan’s apartment, he couldn’t help feeling happy and hopeful that Seungkwan has finally found genuine friends. After spending weeks of quietly watching Seungkwan cry over the betrayal of his previous friends, Jun felt proud at having a hand at this. He really just wants Seungkwan to be happy. After all, he was Seungkwan’s imaginary childhood friend from thirteen years ago.

Their latest video was once again a hit with their viewers. They liked that Seokmin and Mingyu decided to do a house call. Some thought the audio responses were pretty compelling while others were just disappointed that the two didn’t get a visual confirmation of the entity.

**:** so i guess the ghost ships seokgyu as well lol @ **14:37** when he said they were cute (5.3k likes, 28 comments)

**:** Bookkeu’s the real star of this episode, we stan an unbothered queen (3.9k likes, 16 comments)

Needless to say, this case also proved to be a success in terms of viewer feedback.

“How long do you think we’ll be able to do this, babe?” Seokmin asked Mingyu in bed one night.

“Hm?” Mingyu, half-asleep, groggily asked.

“Oh, were you asleep already?” Seokmin turned to face him. “I’m sorry.”

Mingyu cracked an eye open as he repositioned his arm over Seokmin’s waist. “It’s okay. What were you saying?”

“When do you think we’ll stop doing those kinds of videos?”

Mingyu thought for a bit. “When we finally caught a clear evidence of a ghost on camera. Isn’t that why we’re doing this? To prove to people that they’re real?”

“True.” Seokmin agreed. “I just have a love-hate relationship with these videos. I mean, I love that it’s been generating a good income and it’s about a topic that I’m fascinated about. But at every investigation, I feel like I’m always on the verge of having a heart attack. Or worse, getting possessed.”

Mingyu chuckled at Seokmin’s exaggeration. “You know I wouldn’t let that happen.”

“I know.” Seokmin simply replied. “And for the record, I wouldn’t let that happen to you either. I know I’m not that brave but for you, Mingyu, I’ll always try.”


End file.
